Rodrigo Zalazar Martínez

Rodrigo Zalazar Martínez was born in Albacete but built his career through Spain and Germany. He started out at Málaga's reserve side, Atlético Malagueño, before moving to Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019. Pauli and Schalke 04, the last of which turned permanent in 2022 when Schalke exercised an obligatory purchase option worth €1.5 million.

His move to SC Braga in July 2023, for a fee reported between €6 million and €8.5 million. He won the Taça da Liga in his first season there and went on to collect four Primeira Liga Midfielder of the Month awards, in January 2024, December 2025, February 2026 and March 2026, before being named in the league's Team of the Season for 2025–2026. That run of form led Braga to confirm his sale to Sporting CP in May 2026, finalised two months later for €30 million, a record fee between Portuguese clubs. He signed with Sporting until 2031, with an €80 million release clause written into the deal.

Zalazar's international story carries its own twist: despite being born in Spain, he chose to represent Uruguay, first at youth level, where he helped the under-20 side finish third at the 2019 South American Championship, and then with the senior team. His debut, in June 2023 against Nicaragua, could hardly have gone better — he scored twice in a 4-1 win. He has since been called up to Uruguay's squad for the 2026 World Cup.